23Â POPULATION STRAIGHT ARCHERS
OVERVIEW
DETAILED BUILD ORDER
QUICK REFERENCE BUILD ORDER
VARIATIONS - COMING SOON
OVERVIEW
This is a build order aimed to ensure that players are able to have continuous production of Archers and Villagers. Archers are a very strong unit but they are slow to mass so it can be vulnerable to faster build orders (e.g. Drush or Scouts). This build order is for a generic civilization so does not account for any specific bonuses. It is ideally suited to the Archer or ‘flank’ player in a team game.
DETAILED BUILD ORDER
Dark Age
6 ON SHEEP
Wood 0 Food 6
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 6
Queue villagers in the Town Centre, build 1 house with 2 Villagers and 1 house with 1 Villager. Move 1 sheep under the Town Centre (use your Scout to 'collect' them if needed). Set the gather point from the Town Centre onto the sheep and shift-queue the Villagers onto the same sheep. Use your Scout to begin scouting the map, going in concentric circles around your existing vision. Make sure there is another sheep under the Town Centre, ready for when one finishes.
4 ON WOOD
Wood 4 Food 6
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 10
Build a Lumber Camp with the first of these 4Â against the woodline, ensuring there is space to go around both sides. Have 2 Villagers on each side of the Lumber Camp.
1 ON BOAR, 1 ON SHEEP
Wood 4 Food 8
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 12
The 11th Villager goes out to collect the boar. The 12th should build 2 houses before rejoining the Villagers collecting food under the Town Centre, either on sheep or boar if it is back.
3 ON BERRIES
Wood 4 Food 11
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 15
The next Villager should build a Mill next to the berries and begin collecting from them.
1 ON BOAR, 1 ON BERRIES, 2Â ON BOAR/SHEEP
Wood 4 Food 15
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 20
The next Villager should go to collect the boar (this may need to be adjusted and come slightly earlier if the 1st boar is down to about 30-40% food remaining). 4th Villager is added to berries before adding 2Â more to the food under the Town Centre.
3 ON WOOD
Wood 7 Food 15
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 22
Add 3Â more Villagers to wood, ensuring Villagers are well distributed either side of the first Lumber Camp and building a new Lumber Camp with the 3rd of these.
LOOM AND CLICK UP
Wood 7 Food 15
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 22
Research Loom, this can be queued behind the final Villager and then click to Advance to the Feudal Age. You may need to force drop resources from Villagers - again try to ensure it is queued up behind Loom to reduce idle time.
Advancing to Feudal Age
3 FROM FOOD TO GOLD, 4Â FROM FOOD TO WOOD, BUILD BARRACKS, QUEUE VILLAGERS
Wood 11 Food 8
Gold 3 Stone 0
Total Vils: 22
Move 3 Villagers from food under the Town Centre to build a Mining Camp. Move 4 Villagers from food under the Town Centre to the new Lumber Camp. When the Feudal Age research is approximately 50-60% complete, begin building a Barracks with 1 Villager (if you are slightly late on this, use 2 Villagers). Make sure you have already queued a Villager for when you reach the Feudal Age.
Feudal Age
BUILD ARCHERY RANGES, RESEARCH DOUBLE BIT AXE
Wood 11 Food 8
Gold 3 Stone 0
Total Vils: 22
Use 2 Villagers to build an Archery Range immediately, followed by a second one. Then research Double Bit Axe from the Lumber Camp. Add another House. As soon as the Archery Range has finished building, begin producing Archers. Make sure you are constantly producing Villagers still and continuing to add Houses regularly - it is even sensible to use a Villager specifically dedicated to this.
4 ON GOLD
Wood 11 Food 8
Gold 7 Stone 0
Total Vils: 26
As the food under the Town Centre finishes, use the Villagers to add Farms, if not enough wood, move them onto collecting from the 'straggler trees' around the Town Centre. Add the next 4 Villagers to gold in order to maintain constant production of Archers.
BUILD A BLACKSMITH, RESEARCH FLETCHING
Wood 11 Food 8
Gold 7 Stone 0
Total Vils: 26
Use a Villager to build a Blacksmith as soon as you have 175Â wood and research Fletching. Fletching gives your archers +1 attack and range. Once you have Fletching, move out with your archers. Set your newly produced Archers to gather at your base and move them forward when you have a group of about 5 each time. Be careful if setting the gather point forward as it becomes easier for your opponent to pick off individual reinforcements.
2 FROM BERRIES TO GOLD, 2 FROM BERRIES TO WOOD/FARMS
Wood 11 Food 6
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 26
When the berries are running low, move 2 of these Villagers to gold and when they have run out, move the remaining 2 to farms or straggler trees if low on wood, adding farms as soon as you are able.
ALL NEW VILLAGERS TO FARMS UNTIL 13 FARMS
Wood 11 Food 13
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 33
Send Villagers to farms in order to save the food ready to progress to Castle Age.
RESEARCH WHEELBARROW AND CLICK UP TO CASTLE AGE
Wood 11 Food 13
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 33
Once you have the Villagers on food, research Wheelbarrow in order to make your farmers more efficient and then click to advance to Castle Age.
Advancing to Castle Age
RESEARCH HORSE COLLAR, PADDED ARCHER ARMOUR AND GOLD MINING.
Wood 11 Food 13
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 33
Once clicking up, research Horse Collar from the Mill. Padded Archer Armour from the Blacksmith to give the Archers extra armour. Gold Mining from the Mining Camp to improve the collection rate. If any farms expire, move the Villagers to wood in preparation for upgrades and extra Town Centres in Castle Age. Queue up new Villagers ready for reaching the Castle Age.
Castle Age
RESEARCH CROSSBOW, BODKIN ARROW AND BOWSAW
Wood 11 Food 13
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 33
Produce Archers as fast as possible, pausing production from one range upon reaching Castle Age to get the Crossbow upgrade. Research Bowsaw from the Lumber Camp in order to improve your wood income. Research Bodkin Arrow from your Blacksmith to increase the attack and range of your Crossbowmen.
CONTINUE PRODUCING VILLAGERS, BUILD ADDITIONAL TOWN CENTRES
Wood 11+ Food 13+
Gold 9+ Stone 0
Total Vils: 33+
Keep adding Villagers to food and wood to allow you to support production from additional Town Centres. Build a new Town Centre on a woodline and another on gold.
BUILD A UNIVERSITY, RESEARCH BALLISTICS, THUMB RING AND LEATHER ARCHER ARMOUR
Wood 11+ Food 13+
Gold 9+ Stone 0
Total Vils: 33+
Build a University and research Ballistics to allow your Crossbowmen to hit moving targets more accurately. When you can afford it, research Thumb Ring from the Archery Range (to improve accuracy and fire rate of your Crossbowmen) and Leather Archer Armour from the Blacksmith (to increase the armour of your Crossbowmen). If you can afford it, add more Villagers to gold and add additional Archery Ranges to further increase your production.
QUICK REFERENCE BUILD ORDER
Dark Age
6 on sheep
4 on wood
1 on boar
1 on sheep
3 on berries
1 on boar
1 on berries
3 on boar/sheep
2 on wood
Research Loom
Advance to Feudal Age
Advancing to Feudal Age
3 from sheep/boar to gold
5 from sheep/boar to wood
Build barracks
Queue next villager
Feudal Age
Research double bit axe
Build 2 Archery Ranges with 2 Villagers then constantly produce Archers
4 on gold
Build Blacksmith and research Fletching
2 from berries to gold
2 from berries to farm/wood
All new Villagers to farms until 13 farms
Research Wheelbarrow
Advance to Castle Age
Advancing to Castle Age
Research Horse Collar and Gold Mining
Research Padded Archer Armour
Queue Villagers
Move Villagers to wood from any Farms that expire
Castle Age
Research Crossbow, Bowsaw and Bodkin Arrow
Build additional Town Centres, aim for one on a woodline and one on a gold
Build a University and research Ballistics
Research Thumb Ring and Leather Archer Armour and
VARIATIONS - COMING SOON
22 Population Straight Archers
Drush into Archers
Men-at-Arms into Archers
Scouts into Archers